1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera with AF auxiliary illumination, and particularly to a camera with AF (Auto Focus: automatic focusing) auxiliary illumination which directs an AF auxiliary illumination to the object if the photometric value of the object is less than a predetermined value.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a digital camera which converts an optical image of the object into an electrical signal using a solid-state image pickup element such as a CCD, CMOS and so on, and records it on the recording medium, it is common that an image taking lens is AF controlled (contrast AF) based on contrast information of an image acquired from the solid-state image pickup element.
By the way, with such AF control, if the object is photographed in the dark environment such as at night, it is difficult to detect the focus position because of low contrast of the object.
Thus, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-157417, an AF auxiliary illumination is directed to the object, its reflected light is measured by the solid-state image pickup element, and the aperture value and shutter speed for the AF control are set, based on this photometric value, in photographing in the dark environment. Thereby, the focused state can be detected correctly, because the contrast information can be acquired based on the image obtained by reasonable exposure.